Clam Pasta is typically an entrée you order out at a restaurant, but what most don’t realize is that it’s actually really easy to make at home. This seafood pasta takes 30 minutes from start to finish!
If you love clams you are going to love my Clam Pasta recipe. This simple recipe comes together with a mix of pantry and refrigerated ingredients. Even the most average cook can pull off this recipe. Cooking clams sounds intimidating, but I promise you it’s not! The hardest part is cleaning them and I break that down below.
My husband loves clam pasta. He orders it on occasion when we are out to dinner, because in the past I’ve never made it at home. Really, he just loves anything with clams in it. I sadly, do not like clams. I just can’t get over the texture. Over the Christmas holiday I bought a big old bag of clams for my husband and promised him I would make him baked clams as well as clam pasta. He was over the moon excited.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Pasta – I prefer to use fettuccine for this recipe. However, you could use any straight noodles or even make your own fresh pasta.
- Clams – I use little neck clams that I have scrubbed well before adding into the pan.
- Fat – I use a mix of unsalted butter and bacon fat. Both are melted down and give the sauce so much flavor.
- Garlic – A few cloves of garlic minced will go a long way.
- Wine – You don’t need to worry about what type of wine to cook with. Any white wine that you have on hand will do. I use White cooking wine that is only a few dollars in the store.
- Spices – I use crushed red pepper flakes, parsley, and dill.
- Cornstarch – In order to thicken the sauce you will use a cornstarch slurry that consist of cornstarch and water.
Directions
Cook the pasta. Fill a large pot with water and 1 tablespoon salt. As soon as the water begins to boil place the fettuccine in the pot and boil for 10 minutes until al dente. Drain pasta and set to the side.
Cook the garlic and clams. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter and bacon fat in a large skillet. Then add in the minced garlic and cook for 5 minutes on low heat until fragrant and golden but not burnt. Then carefully place the little neck clams in the pan, pour the wine on top and place a lid on. Cook the clams for 10 minutes until they are opened.
Once the clams are done cooking, go through the clams and make sure there are no clams that didn’t open. If there are, discard those clams. Remove half of the cooked clams from the skillet.
Make a slurry. In a small bowl, make a slurry of cornstarch and water and add it to the pot.
Mix together. Mix well then add the dill, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh parsley. Once mixed well and sauce is a little thicker add in the pasta. Mix well and add in the remaining clams. Divide evenly among plates and enjoy immediately. Top with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and additional fresh parsley if desired.
FAQS
Clams can have a lot of grit in them. The last thing you want to do is eat sand. YOu will need to clean the clams before you cook them. You will want to do a “pre-soak” in cold water and cornmeal (about a cup) for eat least 30 minutes. The cornmeal helps get the grit off the clams. I have no clue the logic behind this other than trust me it really works. I’ve used this method for years.
You need to cook the clams until they open. This typically takes about 10 minutes. If a clam does not open it means it’s bad and you should discard the clam immediately.
No, you can not eat a clam with a broken shell. You will want to remove the clam from the bunch before cooking. It could be bad, and the last thing you want to do is take a chance with seafood.
If the clams are still in the shell you will want to remove the cooked clams from their shells, then toss them back into the pasta. Since this is such a tedious process I typically like to serve the clams in their shells and have a bowl on the table for all to remove their clams from the shell.
Clams are on the saltier side but not overly fishy. They have a similar texture to mussels, oysters, and even mushrooms. If they are over cooked they can become chewy and rubbery.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks when making spaghetti with clams.
- Clams – I prefer to use fresh clams; however, you can use canned clams as well.
- Pasta – I like to you straight noodles for this dish like spaghetti, fettuccine, or even angel hair pasta.
Seafood Recipes
The entire recipe from start to finish took me about 30 minutes. Which for a fancy restaurant-like meal is perfect! Your not slaving in the kitchen for hours yet you yield a restaurant quality meal at home. Win-win in my book. If your looking for a fancy meal to make the clam lovers in your life, I highly suggest you try my recipe for clam pasta!
If you make this clam pasta recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Clam Pasta
Equipment
- Stove Top
Ingredients
- .5 pound fettuccine noodles
- 36 little neck clams scrubbed well
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon dill
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup fresh parsley minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- Pecorino Romano Cheese grated
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and 1 tablespoon salt. As soon as the water begins to boil place the pasta in the pot and boil for 10 minutes until al dente. Drain pasta and set to the side.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter and bacon fat in a large skillet. Then add in the minced garlic and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat until fragrant and golden but not burnt. Then carefully place the little neck clams in the pan, pour the wine on top and place a lid on. Cook the clams for 10 minutes until they are opened.
- Once the clams are done cooking, (making sure there are no clams that didn't open if there are discard those clams). Remove half of the cooked clams from the skillet.
- In a small bowl, make a slurry of cornstarch and water and add it to the pot.
- Mix well then add the dill, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh parsley. Once mixed well and sauce is a little thicker add in the pasta. Mix well and add in the remaining clams. Divide evenly among plates and enjoy immediately. Top with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and additional fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- Clams – I prefer to use fresh clams; however, you can use canned clams as well.
- Pasta – I like to you straight noodles for this dish like spaghetti, fettuccine, or even angel hair pasta.
Nutrition
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Susan P
This looks delicious. You mention soaking the clams in water with cornmeal for 30 minutes. How much cornmeal do you use?